Pipe tong



S.BUCHER PIPE TONG July 11, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1964SIEGFRIED BUCHER INVENTOR ATTORNEY S. BUCHER July 11, 1967 PIPE TONG 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 15, 1964 SIEGFRIED BUCHER A? ATTO Y INVENTOR im/ United States Patent 3,330,552 PIPE TONG Siegfried Bucher, Box 4092,Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Filed Jan. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 337,459 1 Claim.(Cl. 269-55) In the drilling of wells, as for example, oil and gas wellsand the like, it is customary to install and remove casing in the wellby coupling a succession of casing lengths together by screw threads atthe ends of the casing lengths. This coupling of the casing length isdone with power tongs or some other power means that will rotate onelength of casing while the other length of casing is held tightly.

The one length of casing is held with a large pipe wrench or otherdevice which provides a successively increasing gripping force to thecasing as force is applied to the wrench. While the wrench will hold thecasing, the increasing gripping force has a tendency to distort or bendthe casing if difliculty is encountered in coupling or uncoupling alength of casing to the length being held in the wrench.

My invention therefore relates to an improved type of tong or wrenchthat may be used to hold a length of casing while another length isbeing coupled or uncoupled thereto and to hold the length of casingwithout distorting or bending the casing.

Further, my improved wrench or tong provides means whereby the casingwill be gripped at a plurality of points so that a firm gripping actionon the pipe will be accomplished without there being a compressive orbending force applied to the pipe.

The essence of my invention therefore comprises an arm that may besuspended for swinging movement transversally of a pipe and with a pipeembracing member connected pivotally to the arm to define a pipeembracing opening with spring means to normally bias the pipe embracingmember toward the arm to frictionally grip a pipe positioned in the pipeembracing opening.

In drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of my device in the pipe gripping position ona pipe of maximum diameter for the jaws of the device illustrated.

FIG. 2 is another top plan view of my device shown in the grippingposition on a pipe of smaller diameter.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to the view shown in FIG. 1 but with the pipeengaging member in the pipe releasing or open position.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation showing the suspension of the tong inoperative position to a pipe.

As seen in the drawings, this device consists of the arm indicatedgenerally at 1, which is constructed from a pair of spaced top andbottom members 2 and 3 and side members 4 and 5 secured together to forma rectangularly shaped arm having a square internal channel in which theelongated jaw member 6 is fitted slidably. A plurality of alignedopenings 7 are formed in the top and bottom members 2 and 3 while aplurality of openings 8 of the same size are formed in the elongated jawmember 6. A pin 9 or other suitable means then may be inserted throughthe openings 7 and 8 to lock the adjustable jaw member 6 in the desiredposition in the square internal channel.

At its forward end, the jaw member 6 is provided with the firstfunctional gripping tooth 10 whose gripping surface may be serrated orotherwise roughened to provide adequate frictional gripping contactwiththe surface of a pipe 11 or 11a.

At its one end 12, the arm 1 embraces a sleeve 13 whereby the arm may beconnected rotatably to a vertical support pipe 14 (see FIG. 4). Atension spring 15 en- Patented July 11, 1967 circling the pipe 14 isconnected at one of its ends to the sleeve 13 and is connected at itsopposite end to the clamp 16 secured on the pipe 14 so that the actionof the spring will normally be to urge the mechanism away from the pipe11 or in the direction indicated by the arrow 17.

The forward end of the arm 1 is formed with a pair of curved members 18and 19 which are secured at one end to the upper and lower members 13and 14 to project forwardly from the arm 1. At their other ends, themembers 18 and 19 are formed with aligned openings for the reception ofthe pivot pin 20.

The pipe embracing member indicated generally at 21 is formed from apair of C-shaped members 22 and 23 connected in spaced apart parallelrelationship by the pins 24 and 25. The pipe embracing member isconnected rotatably intermediate ends on the pivot pin 20 throughaligned openings in the members 22 and 23 which are placed in registerwith the openings in the ends of the members 18 and 19 so that the pivotpin 20 will extend through the members 18 and 19 and 22 and '23. When inplace, the pin 20 is contained by the head 26 which bears against themember 18 and by a nut 27 engaged at the opposite end of the pivot pin20 to bear against the member 19.

To ensure freedom of movement of the pipe engaging member 21 on thepivot pin 20, a lubricating channel 29 extends into the pivot pin 20 andis fed from a standard grease fitting 30 at the head 26.

The spring 31 is connected at one of its ends to the pin 25 at one endof the pipe embracing member 21 and at its opposite end to theconnection 32 on the arm 1. The action of the spring 31 serves to rotatethe pipe embracing member 21 in the clockwise direction as seen in FIGS.1, 2 and 3 toward the arm 1. The ends of the members 2 and 3 arebevelled as indicated at 33 to provide a stop against which the pipeembracing member 21 will engage and thereby limit its rotation underaction of the spring 31.

The pipe embracing member 21 is moved in the opposite or anti-clockwisedirection by the handle 34 which is secured at its one end 35 betweenthe members 22 and 23 of the pipe embracing member 21 and which isprovided at its opposite end with a knob 36 whereby the handle may beforced against the pin '24 to move the pipe embracing member in ananti-clockwise direction.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 in the drawings the pipe embracing member 21 is shownrotated in the clockwise direction by the spring 31 and in FIG. 2 themovement of the handle 34 into engagement with the pin 24 isillustrated. In FIG. 3 in the drawings the pipe embracing member 21 isshown rotated in an anti-clockwise direction against the action of thespring 31 by the application of force on the handle 34 to bear againstthe pin 24.

A frictional gripping tooth assembly indicated generally at 37 isprovided at the other end of the pipe gripping member. The frictionalgripping teeth 38 of this assembly are similar to the tooth 10 describedpreviously and similar to the tooth 10 would have serrated or roughenededges to provide effective friction gripping contact with the surface ofa pipe 11 or 11a. The teeth 38 are imbedded in a tooth mount 39 at theforward end of the sleeve 40 which is contained slidably between thespacers 41 and 42 extending between the members 22 and 23. The sleeve 40is in turn engaged threadably on the stud 43 which is containedrotatably by the cap 44 and is rotated by the application of a wrench orother suitable device on the head 45. The position of the teeth 38 issuch that they will lie in substantially opposed relation to the tooth10.

Obviously, as the head 45 is rotated the mount 39 with the jaws 38 willbe either rotated toward or away from a pipe in the pipe engaging memberand as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, pipes 11 or 11a of varyingdiameters may be accommodated.

Arm 1 is connected pivotally to support pipe 14 and is capable ofpivotal movement in a horizontal plane whereby it may be swung toward oraway from pipe 11 or 1111, as the case may be. It is important that pipesupport 14 be spaced the correct distance from pipe 11 or 11a so thatpipe embracing member 21 will embrace pipe 11 or 11a.

It is important in the operation of the wrench that it exert africtional gripping force on pipe 11 or 11a and that the force bedistributed at points around the pipe circumference. In this manner, thepipe may be gripped without applying a damaging compressive force to thepipe which will tend to distort it. The structure of the present wrenchinsures this. As illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 pipe 11 or 11a iscontacted on its circumference at points A and B respectively. Thepoints A and B are intermediate the points of contact of jaws and 38 onthe circumference of the pipe. Jaws 10 and 38 are adjusted to properlylocate pipe 11 or 11a against the pipe embracing member 21.

In the embodiment illustrated the pipe 11 or 11a will be prevented fromrotation in a clockwise direction. When it is desired to preventrotation of the pipe 11 or 11a in an anti-clockwise direction, the backup wrench simply is turned over on support pipe 14 whereby pipe 11 or11a will be gripped from the opposite side.

To remove the back up wrench from pipe 11 or 11a, handle 34 is movedmanually to swing pipe embracing member 21 off pipe 11 or 11a. Spring 15then may swing the back up wrench away from the pipe.

What I claim as my invention is:

A back up wrench adapted to be used with a vertical support tofrictionally trip vertical pipe during coupling and uncoupling ofadditional pipe lengths thereto comprising, in combination:

an arm adapted to be pivotally mounted at one end on the verticalsupport for movement in a horizontal plane;

a C-shaped pipe embracing member connected pivotally intermediate itsend at the other end of the arm, defining a pipe embracing opening;

a first jaw carried slidably by the arm and adjustably extensible intothe pipe embracing opening;

a second jaw carried slidabeably by the pipe embracing member andadjustably extensible into the pipe embracing opening, such second jawpositioned adjacent one end of the pipe embracing member to lie insubstantially opposed relation to the first jaw;

means adapted to normally bias the pipe embracing member to a postiionwherein the first and second jaws frictionally grip a pipe located inthe pipe embracing opening and,

means adapted to overcome the means normally biasing the pipe embracingmember to move the pipe embracing member and release the frictional gripof the jaws on the pipe whereby the back up wrench may be moved awayfrom the pipe;

the position of the first and second jaws being such that a pipe locatedin the pipe embracing opening and frictionally gripped by the jaws willbe contacted by the pipe embracing member at a point on thecircumference of the pipe intermediate the jaws.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 443,312 12/ 1890 Bode 8153788,772 5/1905 Johnson 81--90.3 1,481,157 1/1924 Smith 8153 1,506,5838/1924 Hoffman 8153 1,582,572 4/1926 Burkeybile 8190.3 2,040,669 5/1936Odmark 269238 2,546,224 3/1951 Johansen 8154 2,855,964 10/1958 Zelabny269238 FOREIGN PATENTS 120,556 12/1947 Sweden.

HAROLD D. WHITEHEAD, Primary Examiner.

